Heavy rains continue in North India

Torrential rains lashed north India for the second successive day today, flooding low-lying areas in Punjab-Haryana region and killing eight people in Uttar Pradesh.

In Punjab-Haryana region, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Ludhiana and Patiala were worst affected by floods as army was called in for rescue operations. 25 trains, including Shatabdi, were cancelled as rail tracks remained submerged in water.

Most rivers, including seasonal Tangri, Ghaggar and Beng are flowing at spate as the National Disaster Authority dispatched a 150-member team comprising doctors along with ten boats to the affected areas.

Incessant rains triggered house collapses and inundated low-lying areas in Uttar Pradesh where eight people perished in capital Lucknow. Major rivers started rising in the state as Lucknow received 43.2 mm of rains, Bhatpurwa (Sitapur) 40 mm and Ayodhya 28 mm.

Meanwhile, in the national capital, temperature rose by a few notches to touch 37.01 degree C against 32.7 degree C on Tuesday however showers towards the evening gave respite to citizens.

Water-logging was reported from some parts of the city which caused traffic jams. The minimum in the city, which received 15.8 mm overnight rainfall, stood at 28 degrees while the humidity oscillated between 95 and 58 per cent.

Picturesque Shimla recorded a night temperature of 15.5 degree C while the low in Dharamsala stood at 14.5 degrees, six notches below normal. The minimum dropped by four to five notches to settle at 15.5 degree C and 17.5 degree C at Bhuntar and Solan respectively.

However, monsoon conditions abatted in Rajasthan which recorded scattered rainfall. Phalodi was the wettest in the desert state, recording 25 mm of rains.